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| The Soldatenkaffee cafe |
A Nazi-themed cafe in Indonesia received worldwide condemnation after it was brought to light by a local newspaper.
Now, the Indonesian authorities plan to ask the restaurant owner to explain his reasons for opening a Nazi-themed cafe that has sparked controversy among locals and tourists.
Soldatenkaffee includes a red wall adorned with Nazi-related memorabilia, including a swastika flag and a giant picture of Adolf Hitler. The cafe employees dressed in SS or Schutzstaffel military uniforms, and were seen posing in front of the cafe on the store’s Facebook page.
The cafe, located in the West Java capital of Bandung, is a popular tourist destination in Indonesia. It opened in April 2011. However, a recent article published in an English-language newspaper, has provoked angry responses by some foreigners and Indonesians on social networks.
Ayi Vivananda, Deputy Mayor of Bandung, said that a letter was sent Thursday to Henry Mulyana, the owner of the cafe, in order to meet with officials to discuss his reasons for opening the cafe and if his goal was to incite racial hatred.
"These are internationally recognized symbols that represent violence and racism," Vivananda said.
Mulyana said his goal was not hatred. Instead, he said he wanted to decorate his restaurant with Nazi symbols in order to attract customers, both local and foreign.
He also denied being pro-Nazi or pro-Hitler, who are responsible for the death of 6 million Jews during World War Two.
"I'm just a businessman, not a politician," Mulyana said. "I have the right to design my restaurant in a way that attracts people to come in. I'm sure I'm not breaking any laws," he said.
He said the recent controversy has forced the temporary closure of his restaurant. He declined to say if he would be willing to remove the Nazi decorations if ordered by authorities to do so.
"Let's wait and see," he said.